Dream
by Weehoo107
Summary: "All men dream... Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity..." Naruto. Don't be fooled.


**Disclaimer: I own Naruto. Yeah, RIGHT. :p**

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**Dream**

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_Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?  


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There they were, lying on the kitchen counter, enclosed in a small glass case. Their scrumptious aroma was blocked, but the little boy knew how they smelled. They had just gotten out of the oven, after all.

He scampered a tiny bit closer towards the forbidden treat. One wouldn't harm him, would it? After all, there were so many. Mommy wouldn't notice if one went mysteriously missing. And even if she did, what could she do? He'd eat all his dinner like a good little boy and get yet another cookie and no one would care. He'd always had a large appetite.

He took a few more steps closer and hid behind the small counter. He peeked upwards.

Besides, Daddy was out fighting bad guys and saving the world. He'd take one for his Daddy too, when he arrived later on today. He'd take two, run out the back door, and wait for his Daddy to enter through the front gate of the village. Then they'd eat their cookies together and maybe Daddy would even teach him how to kick bad guy butt. Yep, it sounded good to him.

He reached up to lift the top off the shiny glass case when another hand came down on his and swatted it away. He gasped, and looked up...

...To see his mother looking down at him with a frown on her face.

Naruto gulped.

She placed her hands on her hips and her eyebrows came down all squinty-like on her eyes.

"Naruto...", she said in a warning tone. "Did I see you try to take a cookie just now, right after I just told you not to?"

Naruto felt heat rise through his body and it was very uncomfortable too.

Then came the excuses. The 'Oh-Mommy-I-did-it-cos-there's-sooo-many' and the 'I-forgot-Mommy' and of course, the cherished and simple 'it-wasn't-me' (even though he had been right there when she slapped his hand away).

And each time he opened his mouth to make an excuse, her frown would deepen and her forehead got all crinkly. Naruto thought it made his Mommy look a wee bit scary.

"Alright Naruto, that's enough," she said in a very very cross voice. "Because you tried to take a cookie, you won't get one after dinner."

"Two cookies," Naruto replied, shaking slightly.

His mother blinked. "Two?"

"Uh-huh," he said, with a guilty look on his face. "I was gonna take two, run out the back door, and wait for Daddy at the North Gate. These cookies are his favorites," he added. In fact, now that he stopped and thought about it, all cookies that Mommy made were Daddy's favorites...

The little boy looked up and was surprised to see a gentle look on his mother's face. His Mommy had a beautiful face, he thought randomly. Her nose was the most beautiful nose he'd ever seen... well, maybe besides Sakura-chan's...

"Here," the red-haired woman said, "take one for you and one for your father. I have to start on dinner, but you make sure to tell him I wished I could be there when he came through the gate, OK?"

Naruto grinned happily. "Sure!"

His mother wrapped two cookies in a little napkin and sent him on his way. Naruto ran through the streets, waving at some of his friends playing around town. He even bumped into Sasuke-teme, who yelled back at him and then asked when he would be able to sleep over. Naruto replied with a shrug and then told him to move his butt so he could see his father.

He ran all the way to the North Gate (which was a very very VERY long way, further than the old man's ramen bar) then plopped down on his haunches. He waited.

And waited.

And waited...... Hey, would anyone mind if he fell asleep on this bench?...

...probably not...

Naruto awoke on a cold bench out by the side of the Main road. It was dark and the stars were out.

The cookies were gone.

He stretched his young muscles, yawning, then winced as he felt a soreness in his ribs. He placed one of his small hands on his upper stomach, trying to remember how he had gotten hurt there...

_Taunting threats. Sneers, whispers, pointing fingers, those glances... he had had enough of it. But there was only one of him... and lots of 'them.'_

Naruto sagged back onto the bench as he recalled the beating he received earlier today. Some kids around town kept on bothering him and he had finally snapped. What had he been thinking? He was no match for those five boys. They were all older than him, too. And they were all gennin...

He sighed and looked up at the black sky. This was all that he allowed. Just dreams and small, harmless thoughts. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything else was too painful... too dangerous.

He only wished that when he arrived home, his mother would yell at him for being so late. But he wasn't even allowed that.

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So. This was written up to relieve some stress, anxiety... Wow, y'all are like my personal little shrinks. Helping me with life. What an interesting thought. :p  
Basically, Naruto falls asleep on a bench on the outskirts of Konoha and dreams his life was different. Not that hard to interpret... just something I typed up. :) Btw, the quote at the top is from Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Feedback is awesome, makes my day, gives me a smile, saves a polar bear...

**~Weehoo107**


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